Uma Vangal Shivakumar

Chair of Film Production, LV Prasad Film and TV Academy

I describe myself variously as a documentary filmmaker, a film professor, a curator and an activist. I am a former Fulbright teaching fellow at Kenyon College, Ohio and was a Visiting Assistant Professor here last Fall. But in my other Avatar, I teach film Direction and am the Chair of Film Production at the LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Chennai, India.

I make documentary films on women’s issues, human rights and development interventions at the grassroots that empower women and the marginalized. A film I made on two women in Karnataka fighting the government was used to create a case at the Supreme Court and the women have won the case and been given compensation – That is one of my moments of pride.

I am also a script consultant to upcoming filmmakers in Tamil, Telugum Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. I have a Ph. D in Film studies and have been teaching Communication, Media Studies and Journalism for 20 years now at prestigious institutions such as the over 160 year old University of Madras, the 90 year old Loyola College at Chennai. At Loyola I headed the Masters Programme in Visual Communication and taught undergrad and post graduate courses.

I curate and present film festivals, film themed workshops, film retrospectives and film based events. I have a trust that works on Women and youth empowerment and re-culturation of Young Indians.